15 places that you can't miss out on seeing in Barcelona - Part 2

Hello again!

Today I am bringing you the second part of my post about the city of Barcelona and the 15 places that I think are must-see if you visit it.

Tibidabo mountain

It is the highest peak of Sierra de Collserola, which surrounds the city of Barcelona.

It reaches 500 metres of height and offers unbeatable views of the city and lots of possibilities of places to visit, like the famous theme park or the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

As for the Tibidabo theme park, it is the oldest one in the whole of Barcelona since it was created in 1905 and in fact, they still have some of the original attractions. Today, there is a total of 30 attractions and from a lot of them you are able to see the whole city.

The Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a neo-gothic church built in 1902. You can access the top part via a lift to once again enjoy some incredible views.

But talking of great views, the Collserola Tower offers some unbeatable ones. It is a communications tower built for the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992 and it is the tallest building in the city. And I say that the views are unbeatable because you are able to see the city and the surroundings from all possible angles.

Sometimes it isn't possible to visit the tower if there are strong winds or other conditions that could be dangerous. Therefore, it is always better to contact them directly to see if it is possible to access or not.

Montjuic

Montjuic is another one of the highest mountains in the city. To get there, there are several possibilities.

On the one hand, you can go up by cable car, in fact, this is the most famous cable car in the whole of Barcelona. With it you can go up to the top of the mountain, where you can find the Montjuïc Castle.

I think that it is the best way of getting to Montjuic as you can enjoy pretty views of the city during the whole journey, but saying that, it is also the most expensive way of getting there as you have to pay approximately 10 euros to go up in it.

The other form of going up is by tram which connects it with a metro station. It is also a good idea for those who don't want to spend too much on the trip as you don't have to pay for any tickets, it is the same ticket that you use to take the the metro and then the transfer later. Also, it is a very quick option as you can get to the top in around 2 minutes.

In terms of the castle, it is definitely one of the best Montjuic attractions. To enter it and be able to see the views you have to pay 5 euros, if I remember rightly.

But if there is something visited by tourists in Montjuic, it is definitely the well known Magic Fountain of Montjuïc. This fountain was built in 1929 and during the celebration of the parties of La Merce in September, they hold a water and lights show accompanied by music and fireworks. If you have the chance to go during these dates definitely don't miss out on this, since it is a beautiful show and also they hold it numerous times a day, so you will have several chances to see it. However, if you go in other days or especially if it is not summertime, it is likely that you will see it when it is not working, like in this photo.

Plaza España

This square is the second biggest one in Spain, only beated by the Plaza de Espana in Madrid.

It is one of the main spots in Barcelona as important commercial activity takes place here and it is also in an area where there are a huge amount of tourist accommodations. It was built for the International Exhibition in 1929.

Important streets lead off of this square like the Gran Via of Cortes Catalanes. Also, it is very close to important tourist attractions like Montjuic which I talked to you about before or the National Catalonia Art Museum.

You can also find the Arenas de Barcelona which in the past was a bull ring but now it is used as a shopping centre. It is full of shops, restaurants, cinemas and its terrace offers perfect views of the square.

The two towers at the entrance of the avenue stand out, which lead us towards Montjuic. These towers reference the Campanile of the Piazza San Marco in Venice.

Barcelona Cathedral

The Barcelona cathedral is dedicated to Saint Eulalia, the patron saint of Barcelona. It is located in the heart of the city, since, in fact, it is just at the entrance of the famous Gothic Quarter.

It is a perfect example of the gothic architecture in Cataluna in the 14th Century.

It is located in the Plaza de la Seu therefore there are constantly different kinds of shows, markets... It is always very lively.

To enter in the cathedral you have to pay if you are not visiting to pray. Therefore you have to pay 7 euros per person to visit it, as it is known as a cultural and touristic visit. For groups, the price is 5 euros per person. And anyway,even though you you can access it during the three time, so the prayer time, you have to pay 3 euros if you want to visit the choir or the terraces.

Just in front of the cathedral is Hotel Colon, which you can enter by going up to its terrace and have a drink, enjoying the beautiful views of the cathedral. It is quite expensive, as you can imagine, but it offers the best views possible of the cathedral.

Also, in a small square in front of the cathedral there is the well known "kiss mural" although it's real name is The Kiss of Freedom.

It is a photo mosaic, a work by the artist and photographer Joan Fontcuberta, made up of 4,000 photos converted into some kind of small tiles that together form the image of two lips kissing. It was built with the intention of commemorating the events that took place in Barcelona in 1714, one of the last military operations of the War of the Spanish Succession. For it, the author asked through the Cataluyna newspaper and social media that people send him photos that represent freedom for them.

For some time it wasn't that known by tourists, but now more and more tourists explicitly look for it.

Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia is an excellent monument in the city, and probably the one that attracts the most tourists year after year. All you have to do is see the queues that form day after day, whatever time of year it is, to enter and visit it.

It's construction began in 1882 with a neo-gothic style but just a year after it was Gaudi, who took charge of the project and changed it completely. The artist died in 1962, leaving the project unfinished. In fact, the remains of this artist are laid in the Capilla del Carmen, in the crypt.

Luckily, they conserved the plans and this allowed other artists to finish it off. It was also possible thanks to the money received from all the visits to this monument, as well as some donations that it recieved.

Now it is still under construction, supposedly it will be finished in 2026, which coincides with a century since the death of the artist. If this turns out to be true, its construction would have taken 144 years.

Bunkers el carmel

The Carmel Bunkers are called this since they are located in the Carmel neighbourhood. They are a viewpoint that until a couple of years ago were hardly known by tourists. Personally, I think that it is the best viewpoint in Barcelona and in fact, it is one of my favourite places in the city.

It is one of the anti-aircraft guns that were built in 1937 when Barcelona received almost 200 bombs daily. Years after they were inhabited and thanks to the neighbors, improvements were achieved in the area.

Definitely, it is a magical place, as much during the day as during the night, from which you can see every single neighbourhood in the city. From the perfectly square apples in Eixample to the irregular ones from the Carmel district.

You can access it by bus, but saying that, from the bus stop I remember that you still had to walk uphill for quite a while. However, the effort seems minimal once you get to the top and you can see the views.

In my opinion, it is a must visit in the city.

Water Park Illa Fantasía

This water park is a perfect option for those who want to have fun and spend a fair about of time there but paying less than in the well known theme park Portaventura.

It is not well known, in my case I found out about it by chabnce when I decided to go to a tourism office to find out what there was to do around the city and I asked for a different theme park option than Port Aventura. I recommend this water park and honestly, I definitely do not regret going there.

It has a wave pool, loads of slides, a big grassy area, several restaurants and bars and a big pool in front of a big stage. In fact, when we went, the singer Melodi was there giving a concert, it was fun.

To get there you have to go by car or take public transport. We went by train to Montgat and then took a bus which went directly to the park.

Going home from the park, as we had to wait a bit for the return train back to Barcelona, we were able to explore a bit of the Montgat area and it all worked out really well since we had an amazing time at the beaches in the area which were totally deserted.

Portaventura

As well as being one of the best theme parks in Barcelona, it is one of the most important ones on a European level too.

The park is divided into 5 themed areas that represent the five big civilisations of the planet: the Mediterranean, China (where the most well known attraction in the park is: Dragon Khan), Far West, Polinesia, and Mexico.

Entry for adults is 50 euros and 44 euros for seniors and children. In low season, the prices are lowered by a couple of euros.

The hours change depending on which month it is and even on which day you go. In fact, it is currently closed until April, and for that month it is open from 10 am till 7 pm. In the summer months the hours are extended until midnight, even until 2 am in exceptional cases in those months.

Around the park there are numerous hotels where you can stay, if you want to enjoy the park for more than one day or even if you want to also try the water park right next to the theme park.

This has been everything! I hope that once again you have enjoyed.

Thanks for reading!

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